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Welcome to my blog about life as a writer and the craziness it involves with struggles of daily life. Make yourself at home but only if you don't mind a little messiness from time to time. This isn't the Home and Garden blog or Martha Stewart so don't expect cute little crafts with homemade goodies. That's not happening in the world of vamps, weres, and other things that go bump in the night...well...maybe homemade blood cakes topped with 'scream a la cream' sweetness along with the sexy alpha males who serve it up.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Writer's Wednesday...Andrea Laurence

Author Andrea Laurence

﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿﻿Debut Author Andrea Laurence had been seriously writing romance for over eight years before she got the call that her book (number 11!) was being published by Harlequin Desire. Her first release, What Lies Beneath, comes out April 3rd. The follow up book, More Than He Expected, will be out in July 2012.

Writer's Wednesday welcomes author and fellow Heart of Dixie chapter member, Andrea Laurence to the blog. She's on a very special blog tour and I'm so thrilled she's joining us today! Thank you, Andrea, for being my guest. Please tell everyone about your blog tour.

Today kicks off my blog tour! I've included details below, but be sure to comment today and sign up for my newsletter to get one entry each. Then follow me on the tour and you can win a copy of What Lies Beneath and a pink sea-glass silver heart pendant!

Wow! Those are some great prizes for a lucky participant. Your book alone is a treasure, let alone a beautiful pendant. Well speaking of your book, What Lies Beneath, here's a blurb to tempt the readers into wanting more. A list of various book purchase links are provided for them as well.

WHAT LIES BENEATH

April 2012, Harlequin Desire #2152

She’s Awake. So Why Can’t She Remember?

They say she’s Cynthia Dempsey, fiancée of media mogul Will Taylor. But try as she might, she can’t recall their high-society life or the man sitting by her hospital bed. Though her body certainly remembers him. Even as she senses the distance between them, the electricity when they touch is undeniable.

Will can hardly believe Cynthia’s transformation. Gone is the ice queen who betrayed him, and in her place is a woman who seems genuine and warm. But can he risk his heart again, not knowing what might happen when her memory returns?

I can't wait to get my hands on your debut release, Andrea! Sounds like there's a lot of turmoil within this story. Please tell us a bit about your writing process. What is the most difficult for you to write: Characters, conflict, emotions?

Emotion. I always get notes from my editor that my characters aren't fully processing their feelings on the page. I add more. Still not enough. I add more. Not quite there. I get to the point where I wish they would just shut up and get some therapy – editor is happy. I guess it's probably because I'm not an overly dramatic or emotional person. I just don't process things like other people too. I'm very logical. So I have to work extra hard at getting those emotional reactions out there.

I know I have a certain place where I love to write. Where is your favorite place to write?

I have a big overstuffed chair and ottoman in my living room where I do most my writing. I used the money from my first advance to get a laptop and I love the liberating feeling. Makes me regret the money I paid for the really nice desk I have in my office. The office I almost never use except to store books. Sad.

If you could switch places with one of your characters would you?

Probably not. Yes, they get their happily ever after with a millionaire (I write for Desire) but I make their lives hell before they get there. I crashed my heroine's plane and put her in the hospital for more than a month with multiple reconstructive surgeries. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

Ouch! Yeah, I don't think I'd want to switch with any of your characters either. LOL. So, is there a particular fable/tale you would love to write your own version or spin on it?

I've always loved Beauty and the Beast – the grumpy, disfigured hero and the beautiful woman who sees beyond his exterior. That's a great storyline that can be adapted so many ways. I'm excited to share that I'm actually writing my own take on the B&B plot with a Desire I have coming out in late 2013/early 2014. It's the second book in the miniseries I'm working on now. No titles yet. The hero's was burned with acid and he's hid himself from the world, building a software empire from the safety of his office. The heroine is his temporary secretary and she can't stand all the mystery cloaking him. She's stubborn and pushes her way into his world, and into his heart.

I definitely have to keep my eyes out for that one when it's released. I look forward to reading your version of Beauty and the Beast.

Ok, now let's get to the food segment. Oh, I didn't tell you? Yeah, there's always food on my blog...heehee. What is your favorite dessert?

I love chocolate, I'll eat it every day if I can get my hands on it, but if given a choice, my favorite desert ever is crème bruleé. I absolutely adore it. I even have my own blow torch so I can make it at home from time to time. Not too often though, because its soooo fattening. But it must have the crunchy top. If a restaurant makes it ahead and refrigerates it, the top gets mushy and that's such a letdown.

No, a mushy top definitely will not do but I'm so pleased to hear you're a chocolate lover as well. The world does seem yummier with a taste of chocolate. Just sayin'.

Well Andrea, please tell us. Do you believe in love at first sight or just lust at first sight?

This isn't a very romantic answer, but no, I don't believe at love at first sight. Yes, you can be attracted to someone, but you can't truly love them until you get to know them. That initial passion, that desire that pulls you to someone – that's just biology. The species tricking you into breeding with an attractive male specimen. Real love comes later after that rush wears off. It's the snuggling on the couch watching a movie and sharing popcorn. Packing their lunch before they go to work. Buying you flowers when they know you've had a bad day. Holding their hand while they bury their mother. It's not sexy, but it's true — real love is holding your hair back while you throw up.

That is absolutely true. I've always believed it's the little things that add up to make the eternal love story.

Thank you again, Andrea, for being my guest. I wish you the best of luck on your blog tour and on your debut release, What Lies Beneath. I love to have you as a return guest in the near future.

Blog Tour & Contest! Don't forget my blog tour contest! Receive an entry for commenting (one per blog) and a second for signing up for my newsletter (http://eepurl.com/e3O5k). The winner will receive a pink sea-glass heart locket pendant and a personalized autographed copy of What Lies Beneath. Small Print: The winner will be chosen at random after the conclusion of the blog tour – Friday, April 27th and announced on the Writing Playground blog (http://www.writingplayground.blogspot.com/). The winner will have 7 days to contact the author at author@andrealaurence.com with her mailing information or the prize will be forfeited and re-awarded.

Hey, Angela. It was a lot of work, but I have to say, it prepared me for life after publication. I've contracted four books since my first and I am in better shape mentally and process-wise than I would've been if I'd sold early on.

Your exerpt sounds great, Andrea. Best of luck with the release. As for the speed of your production--11 books in 8 years-it is to weep. But I'm thrilled you can write so rapidly. Here's to the next one!

Welcome, Barbara. I have to tell you that desperation is a great motivator. The book that is coming out April 3rd was written in less than a month. It was revised of course, but I wanted to sell so badly I plowed through it. Normally, it takes quite a bit longer, especially since I have a full time day job.

The most enlightening thing... wow... I guess how much the business side takes over the creative side. I'd always heard people say that once you publish, you trade one set of problems for another. Contract negotiations, promotion, target demographics, sales numbers, reviews... all that on top of trying to write a better book than your last one, every time. And of course, the publishing world is in a bit of upheaval now, so there's lots of changes coming with the growth of digital publishing and the introduction of self publishing. But you can't fully anticipate what's going to happen. At best you can guess.

I pretty much try to just keep my head down and focus on what sold my book to begin with - to write a great story. Everything else is just details.

First, thank you, Andrea, for being my guest today. I so greatly appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to do this interview. It was a blast! I wish you the best of luck on your blog tour and all your future writing endeavors!

Second, thank you, ladies, for stopping by today and visiting with Andrea and I. I greatly appreciate everyone's comments and I look forward to seeing you all again soon. Good luck with the contest.